Question

module 8: correct use of verbs
special problems in the use of tenses
8h when describing events that occur at the same time, use verbs in the same tense.
example the leaves fall and the air grows cold.
the leaves fell and the air grew cold.
8i when describing events that occur at different times, use verbs in different tenses to show the order of events.
example at present i own a ford; my old car was a honda. i have a ford now, so
own is in the present tense. i used to own but no longer have a honda, so
was is in the past tense.
8j avoid the use of would have in “if clauses” that express the earlier of two past actions. use the past perfect tense.
incorrect if you would have called the museum first, you would have known their hours.
correct if you had called the museum first, you would have known their hours.
exercise 9 using tenses correctly
in each of the following sentences, draw a line through the incorrect verb form. write the correct verb form on the line before each sentence.
ex. flew in 1927, charles lindbergh flies across the atlantic in 33 hours, but now the same trip takes about six hours.

1. today, people watch television regularly, but before 1925,

television does not exist.

1. the first musical mickey mouse films are released in 1929, the same year herbert hoover was inaugurated.
2. in october, 1929, the stock market crashed and an international economic crisis begins.
3. paavo nurmi sets a world record for running the mile in 1923,

then won four gold medals in the 1924 olympics.

1. if new york would have scored two more runs in the 1926

world series, they would have been champions.

Explanation:

1. The event "before 1925" is in the past, so the verb should be in the past tense. "Does" is present tense, and the correct past - tense form for "do" (when used as an auxiliary verb here) is "did".
2. The films were released in 1929 (a past event). "Are" is present tense, and the correct past - tense form is "were".
3. The stock market crash and the start of the economic crisis both happened in 1929 (a past event). "Begins" is present tense, and the correct past - tense form is "began".
4. The first action (setting the record) and the second action (winning medals) are both in the past. The first verb "sets" is present tense, and the correct past - tense form is "set".
5. According to the rule in 8j, in an "if clause" expressing an earlier past action, we should use the past perfect tense. "Would have" is incorrect in the "if clause", and the correct form is "had".

Answer:

1. did
2. were
3. began
4. set
5. had